A car from Italy: how to bring it to Greece

Documents you need

• Documento Unico (DU) for newer cars, or a carta di circolazione plus certificato di proprietà for older ones: first registration date, CO₂ and emission class.
• COC (certificato di conformità): the manufacturer’s certificate of conformity.
• Proof of revisione (periodic inspection), if still valid.
• Invoice (fattura) or atto di vendita with seller, buyer and price.

Private seller or dealer: VAT

• Private seller (privato): no VAT. The contract must be certified by a Greek consular authority in Italy.
• Dealer under the margin scheme (regime del margine): no separate VAT on the invoice and no Greek VAT. Pay by bank transfer: customs will ask for a bank document showing you paid more than 50% of the invoice value.
• Dealer charging Italian VAT (IVA) on the invoice: as a private buyer you pay Italian VAT and not again in Greece.
• If the car is less than 6 months from first registration or has up to 6,000 km, it counts as new for VAT and you pay 24% VAT in Greece.

Transport from Italy

The road distance to Athens is about 1,900 km; the ferry from Ancona, Bari or Brindisi is a common alternative. You can drive it on temporary plates (targa prova / targa temporanea) with journey insurance or ship it on a car carrier. Keep the ferry ticket: it is proof of entry for the arrival declaration.

What to check before buying

• The exact Euro standard and CO₂ on the registration papers and the CoC. Ask for a photo before you buy: Euro 6b instead of 6d raises the tax by 50%.
• The Greek retail price of the same model and version when it was first released. That is the tax base, not the purchase price.
• Whether the revisione is still valid. It does not replace the Greek KTEO inspection, but helps get it recognised.
• That the car is registered in an EU country (in free circulation).